The main Paris Tourist attractions

Paris offers the largest concentration of tourist
attractions in France, and possibly in Europe. Besides some of the
world's most famous musuems, its has a vibrant historic city centre, a
beautiful riverscape, an extensive range of historic monuments,
including cathedrals, chapels and palaces, plus one of the most famous
nightlife scenes in the world.
Paris is also famous for its cafés and restaurants, its theatres and
cinemas, and its general ambiance. While there are a thousand other
things to do in Paris apart from those mentioned on this page, for the
traveller spending just a few days in Paris , this list offers more
than enough choice to fill the time. Note
that national museums (i.e. the main museums) are generally closed on Tuesdays - though
a few, including the Musée d'Orsay, are closed on Mondays.

Do you need a visitor Pass?
Answer "yes" if you want to see and do lots of things in Paris, but
don't want to waste hours queueing for tickets at the popular sites.
These days, there are two queues to get in to the main attractions,
firstly the security check, then the ticket booth. You can't avoid the
security checks, but with a "skip the line" pass you'll avoid the much
slower queues to get tickets to get in. Just bypas the slow-moving
ticket-booth queue, and go straight on in, or use the fast-track
provided for pass-holders.. About-France.com recommends the Paris
City Pass as offering best value for money.

Paris
Museums:

The Louvre
closed Tuesdays- one of the world's great art galleries, with
masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa (which is known in French as La Joconde), and
works by almost all the greatest painters. The Louvre is also a major
museum, with an exceptionally rich collection of antiquities and
artefacts, including Egyptian mummies, Classical bronzes, and artefacts
from round the world. Expect long queues at busy moments, unless you
have a pass.

The Musée
d'OrsayClosed
Mondays(Paris 7- Metro Solférino) , the museum of the
nineteenth century, containg the works of the Impressionists - Monet, Manet,
Sisley, Van Gogh, Renoir and others.

The Musée de
l'OrangerieClosed
TuesdaysLocated on Place de la Concorde. fine collection of
Impressionist art, notably the most famous of Monet's Water lilies
series..

The Musée
d'Art Moderne,Closed MondaysLocated at the Trocadero. The City of Paris's
collection of modern art. And it's free.

The Musée
Marmottan,
in the 16th Arondissement, with a fine collection of Monets and other
French art.

Musée RodinClosed
Mondays7° arrondissement - museum devoted to the works of the
great sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Musée
National Picasso,
3° arrond. Metro St.Paul - Now reopened after
major renovation.

Other main sites and sights:

The Eiffel
tower - take the lift to the top, for a spectacular panorama
of Paris. The tower is 317 metres high, over 1,000 ft.

Notre Dame cathedral -
one of the finest gothic cathedrals in Europe. Entrance to the
cathedral is free. Entrance to the towers is not, but is included in
passes. Climb the 400 steps to the top of the towers .

La Sainte
Chapelle, not far from Notre Dame. thirteenth century
royal chapel, with remarkable stained glass windows. (included in
passes)

The Arc de
Triomphe - the largest triumphal arch in the world,
commissioned by Napoleon. Another place with spectacular views over
Paris. (included in passes)

Montmartre,
and the Sacré Coeur. Narrow streets, filled with artists,
round the 19th century basilica on top of a hill on the north edge of
Paris.

Les Champs
Elysées; one of the most famous streets in the world, a
broad tree-lined boulevard. Enjoy a drink on a pavement café, but watch
the prices !

Seine river
boats (les bateaux mouche). Take a trip on one of the
famous Seine river boats, and see Paris from the river. Departures from
the Pont Neuf. Or use the Batobus.. daily
and weekly passes from 12 to 17 Euros.

Les
Invalides A fine military museum, containing the tomb of
Napoleon, and a remarkable collection of historic models of French
cities (included in Paris Museum pass).

The Latin
quarter; narrow streets, with lots of cafés and
restaurants, antique shops and boutiques, near the Sorbonne university.
Free! (See more things to do for
free in Paris)

Other tourist attractions in
Paris.....

Paris panorama

See Paris from the top of the Tour Montparnasse, the tallest office
block in the city. Panoramic viewing area, and it's the only place from
which the skyline isn't spoiled by the tour Montparnasse...

The Gardens of the Luxembourg;

The classic Paris city park. Off Boulevard St. Michel.

Paris by night:

Many tour-bus operators run Paris by night tours; but there's no need
to take a tour. The lights and sights can be seen in may ways. The most
carefree option is to just stroll down the Champs Elysées and along the
banks of the Seine, looking at the lights and the illuminated monuments
that can often be seen from afar. Then there plenty of restaurants with
chairs and tables outside, where you can have dinner and watch the
world go by. Then of course there is Pigalle, Paris's raunchy nightlife
district, with its arrray of bars, cabarets, clubs and shows.

The Moulin Rouge:

The most famous cabaret in Paris, situated in Pigalle at the foot of
Montmartre. Running since 1889. More
info

Taking a
trip outside of Paris:

The most visited locations on the outskirts of Paris are:
1. the château de Versailles
(train from Gare Montparnasse, or RER C line from St Michel Notre Dame,
Musée d’Orsay, Invalides, Pont de l’Alma, or Champ de Mars/Tour Eiffel.
2: Château de Fontainebleau
- train from Gare de Lyon.

Paris
underground.....
Two offbeat visits to see the Paris other people haven't seen.....

The Paris sewer museum.

(Musée des égouts) Quai d'Orsay - (Metro Alma-Marceau) There is a whole
underground city beneath the Paris streets, and the Metro is just one
part of it. The ancient sewerage system is a historic monument, and it
has its own museum and tour visit.

The Stade de France

More information on things to do
in Paris: Visit ParisAdvice.com
the insider's guide

Eating out in Paris

There are thousands of restaurants to choose from in Paris; as well as
plenty of French restaurants, there are hundreds of Italian
restaurants, pizzerias, Vietnamese restaurants, and restuarants serving
food from just about every country in the world. There are also
interesting French regional restaurants, serving traditional regional
dishes.
There are restaurants all
over Paris, because Paris is very much a lived-in city.
The best concentrations of top-class restaurants in Paris are near the
Champs Elysees, in the 8th, 16th and 17th arrondissements, where there
are a good number of Michelin starred restaurants. For more affordable
eating, and plenty of choice and atmosphere, try the small streets in
the Latin quarter (5th and 6th districts), or on the Ile St. Louis.

For the best oriental cuisine, go to the Paris Chinatown, south from
the Place d'Italie in the 13th.